Caelus
by ConicalArtist
Summary: Dylan never knew why his mother vanished. But it seems now that as his past is better revealed to him, things begin to make a little bit more sense. T for mild violence and cursing.


She continued in her prosing. And all I could do was listen, sit, and stay in my tacit agreement of education that had signed away my childhood so early. My eyelids swayed as my sight began to fail me, head bobbing as if I were a boat in a restless sea. I wasn't exactly alone, in my struggle, but I was certainly the most noticeable, my grayish hair ruffled as my pale skinned hand began to slide off my head. My consciousness began to dip on and off, as if testing the water.

I snapped awake with an ambient crack as my forehead slammed into the fake wood desk. Ms. Peterson turned to me with a surprised look, upon noticing my facial expression, a wave of understanding dispersed across her face. "Dylan, can you hang around after class a few minutes?"

Some classmates snapped themselves to an upright position, noticing that one among the napping ranks has fallen; others took to sneering at me in a rather rude manner. I felt a tap on my shoulder as Ms. Peterson turned slowly back to her lecture. "What." I whispered, shifting in my chair to Ellie. Noticing the paper in my friend's hand, my eyes darted to my friend's eyes for clarification. She had that silly, dumb, wide, shiny smile that I couldn't ever refuse to return, even in the very least. I took the note in her hand and opened it quietly.

"What's wrong?"

It was written in her childish chicken scratch handwriting that she refused to improve upon. She was so simple sometimes, I grinned again. I flipped the paper and wrote my message.

"Nothing."

I passed the paper secretly back to her, feeling it slide out of my hand. Ellie emitted a light scoff behind me.

The bell rang and I furiously packed my things. Ellie spoke out to me in sync with the growing ambient chatter signaling the end of the school day.

"Don't lie to me Dylan, I see though you."

Perhaps today she wasn't nearly as simple as I thought.

"I haven't been sleeping well."

She frowned.

"I'll wait outside. We'll talk. Go see Ms. Smiles."

I watched her leave with the fluster of students, and I turned to the teachers desk, strolling over.

"Dylan…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna talk for a while. And you're going to listen."

I nodded.

"I know when students are distressed. Teaching isn't just a job to me and I take it seriously, I care for all of my disciples. You haven't been getting sleep Dylan. And that is not okay. I'm taking your homework away for the week. You've been acing the class anyways, and no one would notice…"

She stopped and I gawked, stoked already that I would not have to perform on as much of those tedious papers.

"But you have to answer my question first."

I waited.

"Have you been having nightmares?"

I sort of stared at her for a second. She hit the nail on the head; maybe she had picked up what I said to Ellie earlier…

"Y-yeah…"

She waited a minute.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

I was swift off the mark telling her that.

"Alright, that's okay. Dylan, you need to let some of the stress go. I wont probe you on how it got to the point of where you're having nightmares, but I'm serious… I'll see you on Monday."

I began to walk away.

"Have a good weekend!"

I pushed through the handle-less door and Ellie jumped to my side.

"Sorry for eavesdropping"

I expected her to do this.

"What are the nightmares about?"

I shifted uncomfortably. She took this as a response and dropped it. Ellie was intrusive, yes, but she knew when to stop.

We walked together down the halls of the school, Ellie blabbering on about common gossip as if it provided her with sustenance. I listened to her talk, just smiling and soaking in the positive energies that seemingly gushed out of her without end. I felt the sun break upon my head, heating my silvery hair as I stepped outside, warming me in a pleasant manner as we walked into the cool spring air. The city had no effect on the spring climates here in Texas, crazy as the weather could be, the untamable beast. As Ellie and I walked we came to my apartment. She bid me adieu and I walked through the complex.

My parents hardly ever existed anymore. Mother had gone missing when I was eight, only nine years ago, her emerald green eyed blazoned into my memory. My father had left only recently, determined he would find her. I didn't blame him for losing it. Perhaps if he hadn't I would have. Opening the door to my house, I greeted my aunt, who offered an empty "Hey", in response. She just lived here; we gave up on any mutuality long ago. It didn't work. I shut myself in my room, and turned to my bed. I tossed my backpack to its side and sat on the cushioned mattress. One agreement my aunt and I had was that if I received mail, it was to be on my bed. And there it was, as usual. The letters from my dad came every week. He never ceased to amuse me with his adventures. Why he didn't let me come confused me, but I blamed it on his better judgment. The paper tore as I grabbed at the seams of the letters opening and I pulled out the parchment encased.

"Dearest Dylan,

I trust you are doing well. I stopped by Houston PD this morning and asked around. They had nothing, except donuts, that is. It certainly is as weird as they said it would be here. I got barbecue, saw the bats, I'll save Schlitterbahn for you and I. I will be making my first round back to you through Austin. See you soon, whiskey."

Whiskey, as they say, to you Dad. I folded the paper and put it in the folder where I keep his writings, and laid back on my bed…

When I awoke, it was raining. Hard. Rain pellets tormented the glass above my head, threatening to break through the brittle material. My slumber had been short lived. I slid off the bed to take a look outside; misty fog obscured my vision any farther than fifty feet. I felt the cool glass, relaxation showering over me. I turned to my door, walking to the living room. My aunt stared intently at the news report. The reporter fumbled nervously, trying to explain the situation best he could. Who could blame him though, wasn't his fault.

I turned my gaze outside again. It was hard to tell if it was night or day, though it was probably the nighttime, considering the time.

"I'm going outside."

My aunt gave me an incredulous look, then shrugged. I was seventeen, whatever I was doing; it had to have a good reason right?

Rain had always appealed to me. Most hated it. I loved it. I pushed the front door open and stepped outside of the apartment, shutting the door behind me.

A crinkling sound emanated from the doormat. There was a silvery letter at my feet. I thought that Aunt had gotten all the mail? Curiously, I picked it up. It was addressed to me. Odd. I tore it open in the usual fashion, fibers breaking apart rapidly. I reached inside and pulled out its contents.

A silver feather resided in my fingers. A peculiar sense of familiarity washed over me. I turned my thoughts to the color. Hey! It matched my hair! Perhaps it was Ellie's idea to give me this. I was heading out anyways I might as well go greet her.

Happily I trotted out into the rain, feeling it soak into my clothes. I didn't care. It felt good. I placed the feather in my hair. I sprinted all the way to Ellie's house. I was bored anyways. I could always just hang out with her. She lived alone having recently moved out. I crossed the deserted intersections, abandoned due to the "inclement" weather. Jogging up to her house I rang her doorbell in an obnoxious manner. We wouldn't want her to think I was a stranger now, would we?

Ellie stumbled to the door, shouting in surprise when she seemed to have tripped. A deadbolt clicked and the door was yanked open, revealing Ellie and her iridescent grin.

"Dylan? What are you doing here! It's raining buckets!"

"You know I like the rain," I shouted, "I came to thank you for the feather!"

"What? What feather?"

"The one you sent me silly!"

"I never sent you a feather Dylan…"

Well that was bizarre. My mouth opened to ask what she meant but she cut me off.

"I'll go get my coat. I'm bored anyways, we should walk to the playground."

The playground was our little hideout spot. We went there all the time as children, from five till now. Ellie shut the door as fast as she opened it again. I laughed as she appeared again with her duckling yellow raincoat and boots. She might never grow up. We romped through the puddles, chattering endlessly about how strange the weather had been.

The yellow plastic tubes and monkey bars from our childhood presented themselves to us and we came to them, choosing to take our spot in one of those pointless half tubes that only served to protect us from the pouring rain.

Then something happened. What I remember most was Ellie's terrified glance as lightning began to streak across the sky. Lots of lightning. It wasn't pleasant any more. I reached up to my head and grabbed the feather that resided in my messy silver hair, clutching it as I dragged Ellie out of the tube with me. We had to go home, now.

We ran away from the playground, carefully stepping down from the platform we were on. I led Ellie off of the set and began to jog across the mulched ground.

There was a large cracking noise and I was flung backwards into Ellie sending her far away from me. Rubbing my temples I turned to Ellie, she was so much smaller now... My ears were ringing and I couldn't hear anything. Ellie was passed out on the ground and I was hardly capable of moving. I shifted my glance back forward.

And l saw why my mother had left. Consciousness began to fail me and I faded away.

**Do tell me how you enjoyed the first chapter. I was unsure about my previous story, but I actually have this one storyboarded. So yay.**

**Rate/Review?**


End file.
